To Be A Master
by Jidt
Summary: Born without a mastery, Ash Ketchum has been distrusted by Pokémon all his life, but despite that, his dream of being a Master survives. When the opportunity to try is given to him, what choice does he have? No pairings planned, AU
1. A Shaky Start

"Congratulations! It's a boy!" The doctor showed Deliah Ketchum the screaming, black-haired bundle, and she looked at here son and held out her arms. The little boy immediately ceased his cries and burbled happily, trying, and succeeding, to escape his blanketed confines, and wiggled his pudgy arms around. Deliah looked surprised at the newborn's ability to move so strongly, as she had heard baby's that young very rarely possessed enough upper body strength to hold their own heads up, let alone wiggle around. She looked at the doctor questioningly, which he returned with a calm smile.

"That kid's gonna grow up big and strong, just like his daddy." He said, then winced as he saw a cloud of sadness and loss cloud the recently 'widowed' mother.

"I'm sorry…" She just shook her head, and tickled her child, who bubbled with giggles. As his arm reached out to her however, she froze, face falling as she noticed the underside of his arm.

"W-where's his sign?" She stuttered, looking at the doctor, horrified. He refused to meet her eyes as he turned to leave.

"He doesn't have one. Never seen anyone without one, but he doesn't. An anomaly; I'm sorry." He opened the door, letting the two creatures that had been, for lack of a better term, standing watch, inside. On his way out, he turned to the squat pink one, who was wearing a medical apron over its pink and white belly. His own sign, a cross, glowed slightly golden as he looked at his Pokémon. "Chansey, please make sure Mrs. Ketchum gets something to eat." The Pokémon nodded, and the doctor closed the door behind him.

The other Pokémon who had been waiting outside all but disappeared as it sped to its mistresses' bed, and clambered up to meet the new addition to the family. Deliah's own three-ringed target glowed a faint pink as she rubbed the little Mime Jr.'s head softly, letting go of the infant's own hand for a second to do so. The baby, however, began tearing up at the sudden retreat, and Deliah immediately took her son's hand in her own again, which settled him down. As her son faded to a content sleep, she continued stroking the abnormal bareness that should've marked his Pokémon mastery. She sighed, then released the appendage, hugging her child close to her.

"I don't care if you never have a pokemon. You're my son… you're _his_ son, and you'll always be my little baby. Ash…"

- Four Years Later -

"Mommy! Mommy!" The small toddler ran into his house, slamming the door behind him in his rush to find his mother. Deliah stood at the stove, her newly evolved Mr. Mime holding open a recipe book as she stirred a thick vegetable soup. She looked up and barely had time enough to brace herself as her son came barreling into the room… and straight into her. Wide-eyed, she looked down at the boy's usual hat, which had been a birthday present from his godfather, Professor Oak, his previous birthday.

"Ash? What's wrong?" She knelt down to see her son's teary eyes and bruised lip. She brushed his thick black hair from his eyes as he let go of her and rubbed the moisture out of his eyes.

"De otha kids were makin' fun o' me again…" He said, toddler voice scratchy as he spoke over the knot in his throat. Deliah shook her head in despair. This always happened.

"Ash, what did I tell you?" She asked, sweet voice making the child brighten immediately, though not by very much.

"I'm special, 'cause I don't got no sign." His mother nodded.

"That's right. Since you don't have a set element, you can bond with whatever Pokémon you want! And more than one too!" She said, having gone over this many times with her son, as well as her father. Ash looked up at her, determination replacing the defeated look in his eyes. This usually would've been strange on someone that young, but Deliah had gotten used to it.

"Then I'm gonna catch every single Pokémon evah, and be da pokemon masta!" He said in a rehearsed and dramatic voice. Deliah laughed, obviously pleased with this turn of moods, and patted her son's capped head.

"That's right! Make your mommy proud!" She smiled after him as he nodded, and raced back outside, not even shutting the door this time. But her smile faltered as Mr. Mime turned his head to glare after the young boy. With a sigh of long-suffering, Deliah cleared her throat, calling the Pokémon's attention back to her. Her long-time companion grinned happily as he returned his attention to his bond-partner, and happily pointed out a step she'd missed in the preparation of her stew. She nodded sadly, but didn't move to do the task, instead prompting Mr. Mime to complete it instead.

That was one thing that made Ash's… condition really hit home. Pokémon, as a whole, were able to 'read' people's auras, and through that identify the human's given mastery. Hence water Pokémon were drawn to water masters, electric to electric masters, and, as in her case, psychic pokemon to psychic masters. Of course, there were different levels of mastery, attracting the pokemon of the type depending on their 'level', or strength. Mastery level was easy to detect by the intensity of the glow emitted from the birthmark on each master's wrist, which indicated their mastery to other people; the stronger the glow, the stronger the master. Master masters were near-luminescent when they interacted with their own Pokémon, which gave them a reasonable excuse to cover their mark. Which, of course, the rest of the world followed, giving the element of surprise to any Pokémon battle, and hiding the type, or as in Ash's case, lack thereof, of mastery mark.

This fooled humans well enough, but Pokémon's natural senses weren't so easily dissuaded. Abra, another one of Deliah's pokemon, had nearly killed Ash when he'd been brought home. He'd communicated to Deliah that there was an 'abomination' invading the home. Though Mr. Mime, then Mime Jr., had quickly brought the teleportation pokemon up to speed, Deliah's subsequent breakdown had the two pokemon caring for her and (grudgingly) her child for hours.

As Ash grew, however, the psychic Pokémon grew more and more wary of the 'unclaimed one', and never hesitated to show it. Deliah had given up trying to convince them otherwise a long time ago, and Ash didn't know any different.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed again, turning to help her Pokémon cut the celery. Ash was a strong boy, and she had to keep up faith that he'd be able to find his way in the world… with or without Pokémon.

- Thirteen Years Later -

"Thanks Professor." Ash said once again, bowing shallowly to his godfather, Professor Oak, who smiled kindly.

"Now Ash, where would I be if you hadn't wanted Machop… well, Machamp now, as a sparring partner? Well, for starters, he'd still me Machop, wouldn't he!" The eccentric man laughed, but a second later became serious; just another random mood swing Ash had become accustomed to over the years.

"However…" The professor looked over Ash. His seventeen-year-old godson had grown into a handsome (or so he was told), young man; about 6'1", with eternally-messy black hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a toned body he spent years working on with the man's various pokemon. Ash was a 'master', per-say, in about four martial arts, had the agility of a Pikachu, and the strength to almost match a Machoke. Of course, no human being could ever hope to win against the fighting Pokémon in a contest of brute strength, but to the professor's astonishment, Ash had managed to both outsmart and outmaneuver the Machamp into a defeat, one he had just recently walked away from victorious.

_There's got to be an award for something like that…_the elder man thought, not for the first time, but once again his over-intelligence beat him to the punch, reminding him that humans alone didn't receive rewards anymore… only ones with Pokémon, and well trained ones at that. The professor bit his lip, carefully thinking over his next decision one last time as Ash toweled the sweat of the bare upper half of his body, and slipped a dark t-shirt over it, one that clung to every bit of him.

Ash had just turned to leave when Oak chose. The professor cleared his throat, and Ash promptly turned about face, and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well Ash… um… just – just follow me, 'kay?" Oak stuttered, but Ash just shrugged and indicated for the elder to lead the way.

The professor led his student into his laboratory, which was cluttered with papers, and full of expensive machinery Ash _still_ had no idea of what they did. And secretly, he doubted the professor did either, what with the years he had spent with him that conspicuously didn't involve even a mention of the machines...

The almost-adult followed the near-past one into his office in the rear of the lab, closing the door behind him at Oak's request.

"Well, Ash. I have a surprise for you!"

Ash quirked his eyebrow.

"Well, it's been a few years in the making… but I think I've finally done it!" The professor let out a cheesy evil laugh, which Ash pushed aside as normal, and pulled from his pocket a small, plain pokéball. He petted it.

"Here, Ash, is a pokéball. Plain and simple-looking, yes, but inside rests one of my greatest creations!" He released the pokéball in a flash of light, which formed into…

… the Machamp Ash had just defeated. The teen sagged in disappointed disbelief, barely hearing Oak's next statement.

"... Held by my Machamp."

The Pokémon in question rolled its eyes at its partner's eccentric nature, and held out a small, unassuming wristband, with a pokéball symbol embroidered into it. Ash looked at the thing skeptically, but took it and slid it on.

Nothing happened.

"Uh… Professor?" Ash questioned hesitantly, eyeing the object on his wrist cautiously. Oak grinned, then sent out another Pokémon. The Charmeleon appeared and looked around curiously and, upon noticing Ash, warily. What didn't happen though, much to Ash's surprise and Oak's pleasure, was the usual ember attack that had, up until then, been the Pokémon's customary reaction to the boy. In fact, as the fire lizard lost a bit nervousness upon seeing Ash, he actually sauntered up to him and nudged his hand with his clawed one.

Now, anyone who knew pokemon behavior knew the significance of having a seven-foot-long fire-breathing lizard known for its rather aggressive temperament. Ash and Oak stood stone-still as Charmeleon sniffed Ash's hand again, nodded with a puff of black smoke, and sat staunchly by its newly-accepted acquaintance. Ash looked at the wristband in awe.

"Professor… what is this thing?" Ash whispered, still shocked at this sudden turn of events in his life. Oak grinned widely.

"That, Ash, is what I like to call an 'Aura-Emitter'. It sends out an aura, non-specific, that Pokémon recognize. I couldn't get it to fix in on one mastery, so it's really just Pokémon in general that notice it. The only other issue is that, without a recognizable aura type, Pokémon are rather cautious of it." Oak answered nonchalantly, fiddling with a few papers around him.

Ash looked at the pokemon who was the first to willingly approach him in his life, and then at the wristband that had allowed it, and frowned.

"Professor… why did you do this? I mean, not having a mastery never really bothered me -" Ash lied blatantly, but his godfather cut him off with a careless wave that nearly took the teen's nose with the flailing hand. Ash flinched, but Oak took no notice.

"Don't lie to me Ash. Ever since you were a kid you wanted to be a pokemon master. Not in the basic sense of the term either. You spent hours pretending you were a Master master; throwing rocks around, acting out battles… as I recall, Pikachu was your favorite secret weapon, yes?" Ash opened his mouth to defend himself, but the eccentric man just continued rambling.

"Yes, yes. Along with that though, the countless hours you've spent studying Pokémon, their traits, skills, and 'moves'; it's painfully obvious to anyone with half a brain would know of your desire." The professor trailed off, but didn't miss Ash's next comment, though he obviously hadn't been meant to hear it.

"Guess that excludes Gary…" Ash whispered, then chuckled, but fell silent as he realized he'd been overheard. Oak frowned at him chastising-ly.

"Ash, you know Gary's finding out was an accident that wasn't supposed to happen; unfortunately though, it did. Now, my grandson may be a little ostentatious," Ash rolled his eyes. "But that doesn't give you the right to insult him behind his back."

Ash smirked. "Don't worry. I insult him to his face just as well."

Oak let out a long-suffering sigh of defeat as Ash continued to play with his new fashion accessory. Since Gary, who was blessed with an advanced Dark mastery, discovered Ash's lack of one, the professor's grandson and godson had become staunch rivals. Ash would do something, and Gary would (usually unsuccessfully) attempt to show the younger boy up. Ash retaliated violently every time his rival succeeded, leading to the start his rather fiery daily sparring and training session with what was once Oak's Machop.

The Machop had, at first, been just as hostile to the youth when Oak had ordered him to spar with the then 8-year-old, but as Ash's skill grew alongside the pokemon's, the fighting pokemon's own, Machop's respect for Ash held through his two evolutions. The fighting Pokémon was, contrary to popular belief, much smarter than it looked, and knew the value of a good sparring partner – regardless of birthright.

Gary's own Pokémon had been staunchly trained by their master to hate Ash with every fiber of their being, not that they really needed any more reason to do so with the boy's lack of aura, but with Gary as their companion Ash had to fear outright attack from any of them rather than the customary non-violent hostility he'd come to associate with most Pokémon.

Of course, Ash hadn't taken the mistreatment sitting down, and had all but earned the malice afforded him from the hostile creatures and their owner. He had, at every opportunity, pulled every stop to pay back what had been most recently done to him. A Magikarp in the bathtub was returned with a slug-filled soap-box, or when his 3rd grade project (a paper-mache Pikachu) was lit up by his rival's young Houndour, Ash returned the favor by dousing Gary's hard-wrought paper-mache volcano, which turned to sludge and wet paper.

So, the two had continued on a rivals since a young age, and it in turn was part of what defined the two. Everyone (although that wasn't many) in town knew of the two's 'competition', though only a select few knew the true reason for it. And Ash had always held back from that line that would, when crossed, mean the end of his secret by the hands of his mentor's grandson. So, they continued on.

But this… this new invention, would change everything.

"Ash, before you go do something reckless, there are a few things you should be aware of about that emitter."

Ash stopped messing with the wristband, and looked at his godfather.

"Yeah?"

"Yes. For starters, since the emission is non-specific to a type, it'll be a lot more dangerous for you to go exploring around wild Pokémon's territory. They'll see you as an anomaly, and the more brash ones will be more aggressive to a strange new thing than they usually would be with someone with a definable mastery. Not only that, but any Pokémon you do manage to catch will have a more difficult time trusting you. Now as you know, usually Pokémon caught will recognize their master's mastery, and trust in that, but with you, you'll have to work hard to gain their trust.

"However, since you don't have a single mastery to dictate your Pokémon, you can catch, train, and master any one you're able. This also opens you up to becoming more involved and even meeting one of the Legendaries!"

Ash blinked.

"But I thought it was nearly impossible to even get close to a Legendary."

The Professor wiggled a finger.

"It is, for anyone with a strong mastery. Legendaries will almost always run from any sense of a mastery, which all who have one emit. But you don't. So, they'll either be curious about the abstract nature of your aura and wait around long enough to find out what it is, or they'll attack the strangeness. Either way, you're probably one of the most likely people in the world to meet a Legendary!"

Ash made a soft, non-committal noise and shrugged. "Professor, I think I'm perfectly happy just to be able to have anything. A Legendary? I'll stay slightly more realistic for now, thanks."

Oak shrugged too.

"Well, you've always been one to take whatever life throws at ya, I don't see why'd you'd do any different now. Anyways, I've got one last little present for you."

He walked back over to his work desk, and fumbled around in one of the drawers. Wincing as he pricked himself on a long-forgotten push-pin, Oak walked back over to Ash, a small regular pokéball in hand. The teen took it in his own, and pressed the button.


	2. The Forest

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it."

Apparently, whatever was inside the ball liked to make an entrance. The customary flash of light was accompanied by sparks of energy, and a sound like a dampened rolling thunder.

'_Well,'_ Ash thought dryly, '_at least I know what type it is...' _

The sparks died down, revealing a small, yellow mouse, which Ash watched warily, but with a longing in his eyes that reminded Oak of the little kid running around with the toy Pokémon. The Pikachu looked around cautiously, taking in the surroundings it had materialized into, and locked onto Ash. Cheeks sparking, it danced towards the foreign aura, taking two steps forward and one back, while Ash slowly lowered himself to crouch in front of the electric mouse, hand out, palm up in a more-or-less harmless gesture. Pikachu sniffed at the hand offered him, sneezed once, and bit, electricity sparking up the young man's arm.

Ash and Oak immediately yelped, but for different reasons. Ash stood up and shook his hand in a effort to get to rodent off without loosing a finger; Oak all-but yelling at his godson to stop shaking the thing and let him help. Pikachu just let out garbled "Pika"s, and continued the electric onslaught, paying no mind to the shaking or blood running from the finger he'd deemed his.

It took Machamp picking up Ash and prying the mouse off to get things more-or-less settled down, and Ash looked at his mutilated pinkie while the little mouse tried its best to put the Machamp down for the count, but the firm grip on Pikachu's scruff prevented any serious damage, and as Oak helped Ash clean a wrap his hand, the mouse settled for dangling in the giant's grip, doing its best to kill Ash via glare.

"I don't know, Ash. I guess Pikachu's just one of the more... survivalistic Pokémon out there. You're going to have to watch for that, they'll either be defensive and curious, or aggressive and curious. It's a toss-up to which. Although I admit maybe starting off with a Pikachu may not have been the best idea, but you were al-"

"Professor, I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound, and I already have my vaccines." Ash interrupted the man, an looked over his newly-wrapped appendage. He shrugged, and bent his fingers in it, testing the mobility of the job. "I really should have been more cautious, but I was just excited. My fault."

Oak rubbed his eyes, dragging the hand down and pulling at the wrinkled skin.

"Ash, just let me take the blame this one time, will you?" Ash rolled his eyes, stubborn as ever. "You know, I caught this Pikachu a while ago, and have been training him for about four years now, just for you. But now I'm wondering if I should give you something more... tame... maybe a caterp-"

"Professor." Ash cut him off, eyebrow raised. "Do you really think I won't be able to handle an overgrown battery?" The Pikachu snarled from its place hanging in the giant purple hand, and Ash snarled right back, making the little mouse glare, but close its mouth.

"I've been dealing with crap like this my entire life. If I let one little Pikachu stop me, how would I get anything done?"

Oak had to admit the youth had him there... but... "Ash, I don't -"

"Professor, trust me. I know how to handle a Pikachu, or else you wouldn't be offering. Don't take this badly or anything, I'm extremely grateful for what you're doing, but have a little faith in me, will ya?" He gave that knowing little smirk, and Oak huffed out a chuckle.

"You're right, as usual. I still worry, that particular Pikachu is one of the stronger I've dealt with. Stubborn too, almost as much as you." Ash rolled his eyes, and looked at Machamp, and to both Pokémon's surprised, asked the purple four-armed giant to release the little mouse. Ash took up the crouching position again, hand out, but when Pikachu approached this time, it just sniffed his bandaged hand, and then sat back, glaring at the new trainer. Still, it didn't attack him again, and Ash counted that as a victory.

He didn't, however, try his luck. It would be stupid to reach out to the Pikachu, so instead he stood slowly, Pikachu watching carefully, and turned to the Professor.

"I'm going to need a few pokéballs, Professor."

Both Pikachu and Oak blinked in surprise. The Machamp, however, just folded his arms and nodded its approval. As Ash's sparring partner for years, he felt he knew the boy better than anyone, and hadn't expected anything less. Oak spluttered for a moment.

"Ash, are you- are you sure you want to take off so soon? Maybe you should stay and work with Pikach-" Ash cut him off.

"Professor, the only way to deal with a Pokémon this stubborn is to prove your authority. And to me, that required showing Pikachu that I can handle wild Pokémon, with or without his help."

Oak nodded hesitantly, then sighed.

"I suppose there's no stopping you, is there?" He asked with a smirk, which Ash returned.

"You really need to ask?"

Oak shook his head and smiled. "No, I suppose not. It's obvious you're beyond ready to go. Just make sure to stop by your mother's before you go, will you?" Oak asked, handing the youth a filled backpack. Ash took it and hefted it onto his back, nodding to the man.

"Of course."

"Here." Oak said as Ash turned to leave. The black-haired boy turned back, barely catching the device the Professor tossed his way. He raised an eyebrow.

"A Pokedex?"

"Not even you know _everything_ about every Pokémon. Besides, this way I can check in with you every now and again."

Ash rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and turned to leave again, the reluctant Pikachu following a few steps behind, curiosity getting the best of the electric mouse.

"Wish me luck!"

Pikachu followed Ash at a distance, taking his sweet time but keeping the human in sight as they walked down the hill from Oak's Lab. Ash paid the mouse little attention, only looking back once to see if Pikachu had bothered following. The day was gorgeous, which was unsurprising in Pallet Town – clear skies, sun beaming, with a light breeze just brushing the grass and leaves. Ratattas and Pidgeys roamed, looking for scraps or perching on rooftops soaking in the sun. Ash ignored them too, but Pikachu didn't turn up the chance to shock anything he deemed in his way. They walked for a little over an hour in silence, save the ambient noise around them.

Pikachu did notice when those noises seemed to fade, and took stock of where exactly the human had led him.

The Pallet graveyard was separate from the main town, but that didn't stop it from being just as cared for and beautiful as the rest, in its own way. No graveyard can really be called beautiful, not with what they hold, but Pallet had a way of making everything peaceful, and quiet. No one ever feared anything in Pallet.

Pikachu stayed back as the boy knelt in front of a modest head-stone, watching patiently. Regardless of personal feelings, he would respect any being visiting the deceased.

Ash brushed off the dusting of pollen that had settled on the top of the marble, smiling as he did so.

"Never could keep anything clean, could you Mom? Always had that little touch of home, no matter how long we scrubbed. Mimey was always so annoyed with us." He smiled at a fond memory. "Anyways, I don't think I'll be able to visit for a while. Oak made this thing… well, it's complicated, but I'm finally getting a chance to be a trainer. Never thought that would happen, huh." He chuckled. "Got this little Pikachu as a starter… I'm going to have to work hard at this, Mom. Harder than anyone else, anyways. But it's like you always said, isn't it? 'Nothing worth having is ever easy'." He sighed.

"Miss you Mom. I'll visit whenever I can. Love you."

Pikachu followed a bit closer as they left the place.

Ash and a cautious Pikachu camped just off route 1 that night, in a small pop-up tent Oak had somehow crammed into the bag, along with potions, the customary 5 Pokéballs, a sleeping bag, about $300, a couple revives, two weeks of dried trail rations… you get the idea.

"Holy crap Professor, Viridian is two days away, at the most. Yeesh." Ash rolled his eyes, smiling at the elder's apparent concern. He wasn't complaining though, anything was better than sleeping in Weedle territory. And based on the Kakuna that had lined the trail, they were smack dab in the middle of it. Not to mention the storm that had come from nowhere and soaked both man and mouse as Ash hurried to put up the tent. Pikachu had settled in the corner, more concerned over the rain than the 'Trainer' he'd been stuck with, and Ash was wiggling into the sleeping bag to get some sleep.

Neither got much rest that night as the rain pounded the tent and thunder roared overhead. It was in a miserable haze that Ash packed the sodden pop-up, though he had dried it out as best he could, into his bag, and the duo continued their way through the rainy morning into Viridian Forest.

They stopped at the entrance before heading in, and looked at each other.

"Pikachu, you may not like me, but the only way we're going to get through here is together. Truce?" Ash asked, eyeing the little mouse warily. He sighed when Pikachu shrugged. "Good enough, I guess. Try to keep the poisoning to a minimum – potions, we have. Antidotes, not so much."

Ash shifted the pack on his back and took his first steps into the Forest, Pikachu following closer behind.

The two made okay time on the path, Ash going out of his way to avoid other 'trainers' eager to battle, their nets and obvious comfort in the bug-infested woods made their bug mastery easy to guess, and their shorts and tiny selves made their youth and inexperience even more so. The Caterpie and Weedle of the forest kept far from Ash, crawling hurriedly out of his way, some even stopping to 'hiss' at the Trainer. Ash ignored them, and Pikachu continued to practice on them. After they had skirted around a particularly adolescent group of kids, however, both human and Pokémon stopped in their tracks at what waited in their way.

A surprisingly-large Pidgeotto stood regally in the middle of the path, head cocked to the side as it inspected the Trainer. Ash didn't move except to put his hands out, palm up, in a show of harmlessness. The bird's eyes narrowed at the movement, but the Pokémon made no other signs of aggression. Pikachu, on the other hand, had no such hesitation.

The Thundershock the little mouse sent at the bird was received with a loud squawk and a sand-attack towards the face. Pikachu dodged it, and Growled at the Pidgeotto, who attacked with a reckless Tackle. Ash just stood back and watched, knowing that trying to stop the two would only end badly. If the little mouse beat the Pidgeotto, then he'd at least try to capture it.

Pikachu took the bird's Tackle head on with one of his own, and the Pidgeotto stumbled back from the smaller mouse, only to re-focus its attention on the strange aura it had sought out in the first place. Ash stood strong as the large bird took a couple hops towards him, and didn't react when it was finally brought down by another Thundershock from behind. He tossed an empty Pokéball at the fallen Pokémon, and waited as it shook, then dinged in success. Ash looked at Pikachu, who had huffed in disappointment as the bird was captured.

"I'd thank you, but I doubt any of that was for my benefit." He shook his head at the mouse, who he could swear was smirking. "Anyways, we should be out of here soon enough. Let's try to get out in one piece, hm?"

He continued down the path, scooping up the Pokéball as he did, and clipped it onto his belt. Pikachu followed, this time in front of the trainer. They continued for a couple hours, including getting sucked into a short and brutal battle by a hidden kid (whose Weedle ran away after the first Growl), before the rain that had been reduced to a drizzle, picked back up with a vengeance. Pikachu shook the drops from his fur every minute or so, but Ash was stuck trudging in the mud behind the mouse.

"You know what? This sucks." He said bluntly, and Pikachu huffed in agreement, shaking himself once again before shivering, sparks dancing across the little electric mouse. Unfortunately, this seemed to draw attention.

A flock of Spearow had flown into the forest earlier that day, looking for some nice Kakuna, and if there's one thing Spearow are known for, it's their aggression. That sparking lit up the area nice and bright, and set off warning bells in the flock. They went after the light.

Both Ash and Pikachu looked up and paled at the swarm of small angry birds making its way through the rain, and ran.

_A/N – This is going to be AU, but heavily based off the show. This means I get to play with Ash's Pokémon team, and the storyline. Consider yourself warned. _


	3. The Pokémon Center

"To be great is to be misunderstood."

_(Yes, I know Viridian Forest is after the city itself when you start from Pallet. However, in my head, Viridian is kinda smack-dab in the middle of the forest. So you have to go through it to get to the city.)_

The flock attacked with a fury beyond logic. For an entire flock to be so focused on a single target was unheard of, but Oak had warned of unreasonable aggression towards Ash's abnormal aura. Pikachu stood his ground in front of the trainer, sending Thundershock after Thundershock into the flock, birds dropping with every flash. Ash took advantage of the electric mouse's distraction to grab a short, thick stick from the side of the trail. He held it by his side as he stood behind Pikachu, not wanting to disrupt the Pokémon's focus. The flock didn't falter as members fell, but surged towards the mouse who dared stand between them and their goal.

Pikachu, of course, relished the challenge, at least for a while. However, the effort of the continuous attacks began taking its toll. The mouse faltered, and the Spearow attacked. Pikachu braced himself, cheeks sparking weakly, waiting for the onslaught of beaks and talons. But the electric crackle died as Ash stepped in front of the Pokémon and swung the improvised club straight into the lead Spearow, sending it tumbling into the brush framing the trail.

Ash, however, was just one human against a Pokémon swarm, but despite talons tearing at his clothes and skin, and the Pecks and Fury Attacks the stronger members of the flock sent his way, he kept swinging the club, keeping every bird away from the fallen Pikachu.

The electric mouse watched in shock at the trainer protecting him. Despite how Pikachu had been treating the Trainer, Ash was standing between the two forces, protecting Pikachu at his own expense. Perhaps, despite his strange aura, this human was worth giving a try. As Ash staggered from a particularly malicious Peck, Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, then flung himself into the flock. Said trainer had to shield his eyes against the Thunderbolt Pikachu unleashed on the unfortunate remnants of the Flock. He lowered his arm just in time to see a small yellow body fall amongst the rain of brown-feathered, slightly smoking ones.

"Pikachu!"

Ash threw the stick aside, running to the fallen mouse who had just saved him. He scooped Pikachu up gently and looked north, towards Viridian. Suddenly the three miles left felt that much further. So, hoisting the bag higher on his back, blinking blood and rain from his eyes, Ash ran.

-TBAM-

Nurse Candice Joy looked up from the picture of her dozens of identical cousins, interrupted from her mourning for the missing Julie Joy, at the trainer who just entered the center, and gasped. The young man was soaking, clothes nearly torn to shreds, with scrapes, and gouges, and bruises showing through the tears, with a Pikachu in similar, but better, shape, unconscious in his arms.

"Please, help him."

And the trainer passed out too, Pikachu still held tightly in his arms. Nurse joy paused, blinking at the sight.

"Chansey!"

-TBAM-

Despite the rain, and up until that evening, Misty Waterflower had actually been enjoying the day. With Staryu hovering overhead like an umbrella, she had biked quickly through North Viridian Forest and through the town itself, stopping for a quick bite before continuing into the South Forest. She had gone a couple miles before dusk began settling, and she saw flashes in the distance, along with the distinctive cries of a Pikachu. She had retrieved her Staryu, who was tired after hovering all day, and headed straight for the source, excited to catch it despite her water mastery. Pikachu were rare, and catching one could lead to a valuable trade eventually.

She stopped long enough to see the flock of Spearow against a beaten-up trainer and a fallen Pikachu, before the little mouse had let loose a devastating Thunderbolt, which not only took out the birds, but arched towards the metal of her bike. Both girl and machine were hurled back from the force, though the bike took the worst of it, leaving Misty singed and disoriented, but otherwise okay. When she was mentally recompiled, she looked up and watched the trainer running towards Viridian. She stood, shaking in anger and residue electricity.

"Don't you run from me!"

-TBAM-

As Ash 'slept', he dreamed of his father. Not that he had ever met the man, or ever heard stories, or even knew what he looked like, as his mother never told him, and there were no pictures of the man. Instead, Ash dreamed of what he had long-ago established would be the 'memory' of his father. Ash imagined a tall and strong man, with kind eyes and untamable hair like Ash's own. The man would smile as he picked Ash (who was always a toddler in those dreams) up and spun him around, both man and son laughing as the world circled around them, blurring into a slew of colors until they fell, Ash on top of his 'dad', and they would both lie there, looking up into the blue, cloudless sky, smiling. The two would turn to look at each other, and that's when Ash always woke up – right before he could see what he dubbed his 'father's' face.

This time was no different. Ash groaned as the blurry world tried to right itself as he opened his eyes, head pounding, skin stinging and painful. As he blinked sleep away, the dull steel of the inside of a Pokémon Center recovery room came into focus, as did a steady beeping and the dull hum of the harsh lighting that illuminated the room. He looked to the right and discovered the heart monitor that was the source of said beeping, along with an empty chair and shut door. To his left hung I.V. bags, dripping a slow rhythm into the line attached to his hand, which (surprisingly) still had the wristband on it. Gritting his teeth, he removed the needle from his skin, and the clasp on his finger, wincing as the machine to his right let out an indignant alarm at the apparent sudden death of its patient.

The room spun as he stood, listing to the side as his legs shook weakly. Despite this, Ash made his way to the door, leaning heavily on the wall. The door opened with an indignant squeal of aged hinges, and the trainer winced at the noise. The room he'd been put in was one of the first in the hall, close to the entry/waiting room and front desk. The sun was shining through the small windows, interrupted periodically by leaves and branches swaying in the wind that was scratching the Center's thin front doors.

In the other direction, the hall continued back, splitting into two sections, the E.R. and I.C.U. Ash followed the hall to the intensive care, his obvious dependence on the wall lessening with every step. Quick peeks through the door windows let him know whose room was whose, and Pikachu's room was at the very back of the hall. The door to the recovering Pokémon's was much better kept than the neglected one to Ash's room, and swung open smoothly, with only a whisper of noise as the cool breeze of the room mingled with the warm air of the hall. Neither Pikachu nor Pidgeotto, who was perched, healthy as ever, on the hanging fluorescent light hanging in the room, stirred at the trainer's entrance, or when Ash quietly lowered his shaking self into the hard chair in the corner.

Pikachu resembled Ash in that he was covered in bandages. Pokémon healing was leaps and bounds ahead of human care, due to all the battling that was the center of their culture, but even then there was only so much science and Chansey nurses could do. Sometimes time really was the best cure. Despite the bandages though, Pikachu was looking well-rested and sleeping soundly, although both mouse and bird had shifted slightly and scrunched up a little as Ash's unnatural aura had entered.

The trainer managed to doze off in the ridiculously uncomfortable chair, though that was probably from the heavy medication still in his system than anything else, and woke to an irate pink-haired nurse glaring down at him. Ash blushed, and cringed.

"H-hi there, Nurse Joy. How are you?"

The look the nurse gave him sent chills down his neck. Health-care professionals were, in his opinion, two-edged knives. They could heal, yes, but that knowledge also gave them an underestimated ability to cause harm. If you can put someone together, you must first know how to take them apart. Ash knew this, and, though he probably wouldn't be killed at the moment, the look he was getting was not promising.

"Not happy, actually." The nurse replied, then sighed. To Ash's surprise, she came in the room, and sat down beside him. Chansey, who was standing outside the door, gave the aspiring trainer a harsh glare for a pink orb, and refused to come in further. Nurse Joy relaxed her own glower, instead adopting a curiously distanced face as she looked at the injured Pokémon in the bed.

"He's tough, that one. We barely convinced him to leave you once you passed out. He woke up when you fell; took Chansey ten minutes to convince him we could help."

Ash say back, carefully hiding his surprise at the Pikachu's sudden dedication. It would be a normal, if slightly stronger, reaction for most Pokémon, if the trainer was strong enough, but for the electric mouse to suddenly change its obvious opinion of him?

"Will he be alright?" Was all Ash responded with, going with the 'strong trainer' presumption the Nurse already had. She nodded.

"He's nearly healed already. All he needs to do is wake up, and he's good to go. I'd recommend you stay here until you're as good as he is," She said, turning to face him. "but I get the feeling you'd ignore me. So for now, I'll just ask you to take it a little slower than you obviously have. Spearow are mean little… well, you're not the first person here who's gotten on their bad side, though you're definitely one of the worst cases."

Ash nodded, and looked down at his bandaged arms. The cloth was still a pristine white, though he knew once he left that would soon change. On the bed, Pikachu let out a soft yawn, and opened its beady little eyes, which immediately focused on its trainer.

"Pika-pi!"


End file.
